HOUSTON – It’s a question many Houston parents are quietly asking, is HISD still the right place for my child? New internal numbers obtained by KPRC 2 reveal more than 8,300 students left the district this school year.
According to internal enrollment data obtained by KPRC 2 News, the district currently serves 168,409 students, down from 176,730 last school year. That’s a loss of more than 8,300 students in just one year and part of a two-year trend that has seen more than 16,000 students leave the state’s largest school district.
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HISD acknowledged the continued decline, saying there is no single cause behind it.
In a statement to KPRC 2 News, HISD said large, urban districts across Texas are seeing similar declines, while suburban and rural districts, especially those around greater Houston, are growing. The district links that growth to rapid housing development outside the city and shifting population patterns.
The district says it is studying the factors within its control, listening to families, and working to improve campuses to remain “the top choice for Houston families.”
Two of the thousands who recently left are Brooke Longoria’s children. Longoria, a former PTA president at Helms Elementary, said she spent years deeply invested in HISD which made the decision to pull her children out even more difficult.
“I always saw my kids graduating from HISD. And to leave was hard,” she said.
Longoria said her concerns grew after the state intervention began, prompting her to wait and see how the changes played out. During the 2024-2025 academic year, she said she felt her children were “being prepared more for testing than real life.”
“We chose [Helms] for its Spanish Immersion program, and it was an education model we thought would serve our children really well,” she said. “But I didn’t feel like my children were being prepared for real life.”
Her children are now attending a private school. She says she knows she’s not alone.
“I’ve heard from so many other families,” Longoria said. “All parents want what’s best for their kids. And for a lot of parents, that means seeking a different education model, opportunity and that means going somewhere else.”
Longoria says returning to HISD one day isn’t impossible.
“It’s not off the table for us forever,” she said. “The state takeover will someday end.”
Mark LeBlanc also moved his daughter out of HISD. She was the valedictorian of her middle school, he said, but the family ultimately chose a private school they felt was a better fit.
“We made some hard decisions on what was best for her,” LeBlanc said. “It’s nothing against the teachers or the students, her friends but it was the hard decision.”
LeBlanc said a turning point came over the summer, when he realized his daughter’s classmates were scattering across more than a dozen different high schools, many of them outside HISD.
“Out of the twenty-something girls at her birthday party, I think they were going to 12, 13, 14 different high schools,” he said. “Some of them were in HISD; quite a few were not.”
When asked whether his family might return to HISD in the future, his answer was firm.
“No, we won’t go back,” he said.
HISD says it is continuing to analyze enrollment trends and evaluate areas it can influence, from academic programs to campus improvements. District leaders say their goal is to ensure HISD remains an attractive option for both current and future families.
As Houston grows and families’ needs evolve, the district says it will continue listening and working to earn back those who have left.